60°
NORWALK, Conn. – Faced with a cash crunch, the Oak Hills Park Authority has reached out to the city for a $150,000 loan to help it meet operating expenses, and Monday night the Board of Estimate & Taxation gave its preliminary approval.
The municipal golf course off Fillow Street, which has long struggled with its finances during winter when players are not teeing up, would take 10 years to pay off the loan at an interest rate of 1.55 percent.
The Common Council still needs to approve the plan at an upcoming meeting.
“It’s getting tighter and tighter every year,” said Pat Williams, treasurer of the Oak Hills Park Authority, concerning the course’s finances. “Our revenue has gone down a little bit each year.”
Revenues are down primarily due to a decrease in the number of rounds at the golf course in recent years. Five years ago, the course averaged between 40,000 and 45,000, rounds, but last year that number shrank to 35,000, according to Executive Director Shelly Guyer.
“We’re down about 500 adult resident memberships,” said Guyer, adding that the course plans to launch a marketing initiative in the coming months in an effort to boost the number of rounds and members. “That’s a tough nut to overcome.”
To help with generating revenue, the course has long sought to build a driving range on the property, a controversial matter that has met opposition from some residents. The range was not a topic of discussion Monday.
James Clark, the only member of Estimate & Taxation to vote against the loan, said he hopes the course can turn things around, but he would like to see a new direction.
“If you keep doing the same thing, we’ll find ourselves in the same situation,” Clark said. “We’re rooting for you, but you have to look at changing the model.”
Comments (1)
The definition of insanity: keep repeating the same thing over and over, each time expecting a different result. Mr. Guyer exactly points out why the course is failing and rounds are down: 500 resident memberships to keep the cost of overhead and capital improvements afloat? "Our revenue has gone down every year." Has it occurred to anyone, anyone at all, on the OHPA, that golfers are not going to just flock to you? That you need to market the course and other amenities at Oak Hills Park? You are all playing the same old tune and people are tired of hearing it - oh, that would be excepting the Mayor who loves to give money away to 500 golfers while ignoring other pressing needs of the City of Norwalk, 500 less than the entire population.